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there is no danger of pulling traces or vias if you use the proper tools and technique

Boldface mine. Worst case, you slip and trash the board. Almost no downside to starting off by carving into the potting. Screw up, and you can move on to removing the chip as a backup. Screw up the chip removal and there's no backup.

Boldface mine. Worst case, you slip and trash the board. Almost no downside to starting off by carving into the potting. Screw up, and you can move on to removing the chip as a backup. Screw up the chip removal and there's no backup.

aye, I would recommend anyone who is attempting such a repair practice by removing a large DIP package IC from a trash board first

I just think that self-improvement by refining one's technique is worth the effort. Anyone can carve plastic with a dremel, not everyone can elegantly remove big DIPs

I've had zero luck with those mechanical solder suckers. On any modern-ish board you have to be The Flash to get that thing in place before the solder cools.

But I'll have to bookmark that soldering station, that does look like it would save a lot of headache, but seems like it would be too much of an investment just to for a small handful of components I might use it for.

Still not sure that I'd avoid pulling traces. That one I messed up a way while back, I was positive all the legs were desoldered.

I'll probably try just removing the top of that chip, but I'll still have to acquire a tool for that eventually.

Actually, you don't need to follow the YT video--that was a bit extreme. You have pretty clear access to pins 16 and 20, so this approach will work fine. I've done it on boards where both sides have lots of SMD on both sides and the RTC chip is soldered in. There are many similar sites giving detail. Just search on "DS1287 reworking".

The hidden bonus is that you don't need to fret about DS1287-DS12887 compatibility.

Why an electric one? I use a hand one most of the time like this one. If you don't desolder that much, it is good enough.

Those things are junk. They get clogged constantly, sometimes break in half from the spring shock and often rip traces off the board from the high vacuum. Not to mention the smell when you inevitably melt the tip from having the soldering iron under it. I bought one years ago when I first started soldering, and I would never go back to using it after getting my desoldering station. It's been sitting in a drawer out in the garage rusting for a number of years.

Originally Posted by T-R-A

Agreed. The units are not cheap (in order of +$1000 new, significantly less on e-bay), but if you ever need a desoldering job done, it's the best way to do it.

The only way you'd be paying $1000 is if you got one of those garbage Hakko units. The cheap chinese units like the ZD-985 or ZD-915 are $140-200 depending on where you buy them. I've had a ZD-985 for years and while it has given me some trouble, it was fixable and the consumables (nozzles and filters) are cheap. I don't even buy filters for it anymore, I just cut circles out of those makeup removal cotton pads you get in the beauty section at Walmart. You get 50 for a few bucks and can make 3-4 filters, vs like $10 for like 5 filters.

The only way you'd be paying $1000 is if you got one of those garbage Hakko units.

Note: I said +$1000. The only unit I use (and recommend) would be a Pace MBT. $1200-$1800 on Amazon (not counting the cost of consumables). Soldering/desoldering is my every-day job. I wouldn't even consider the "cheap chinese units"...

Soldering/desoldering is my every-day job. I wouldn't even consider the "cheap chinese units"...

When you're a home hobbyist, it's not practical or often even possible to drop a grand on one tool. If you've never tried one of these units, don't automatically condemn them because they're a tenth of the price and made in China.

If the ZD-985/915 didn't exist, I wouldn't have any desoldering station because they're far out of my price range for a single tool.

I saw an interesting way to desolder once but never did it myself. First he put some molding clay around the adjacent parts he'd use small nozzle with compressed are to blow the solder through. It needed more cleanup but it cleared the solder better than any sucker I've seen. I also mean 60 to 70 PSI and a face shield, not some canned air.
Dwight

There's also another method that no one has mentioned that involves only a little money (compared to any solder station) and works about as well. Apply some tacky-flux to the existing solder, then melt some low-temp solder with the existing (to lower the overall reflow temp). Allow this to cool and use solder-wick to clean the hole/via, while slightly wiggling the pin of the chip. Takes a little practice, but works for most small jobs.